ABSTRACT
Nigeria gained independence from the UK on 1 October 1960. Since then, the country has had a troubled history with almost constant government instability. Military and civilian governments have proved equally incompetent and chauvinistic. Many of the problems can be traced to the colonial policy of divide and rule to weaken and split nationalist movements. At independence, there were three political parties, each regional and based on one national group: the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) based on the Hausa, the Action Group (AG) based on the Yoruba, and the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) based on the Ibo. Apart from the Arab states and Iran, Nigeria's oil reserves are among the largest in the world, but even improving economic standards did not bring political stability. Civilian rule was restored in February 1999 with the election victories of the Peoples Democratic Party. However, given the history of the country, there must be scepticism.
